Is Arnold Schwarzenegger still involved with the Toxic Avenger remake?

Last Updated on July 22, 2021

It was almost one year ago when we learned that action icon Arnold Schwarzenegger was being rumored to have a major role in the remake of Troma's cult classic THE TOXIC AVENGER, a campy reboot to be helmed by HOT TUB TIME MACHINE helmer Steve Pink. While Arnie has had a full slate lately with the zombie tale MAGGIE, the currently filming TERMINATOR: GENESIS, as well as the rumored KING CONAN film and the upcoming EXPENDABLES 3, we've yet to hear how far along the TOXIC AVENGER remake is, and whether or not Schwarzenegger will still be involved.

Back in March MovieWeb learned that Arnie had dropped out after catching up with the original films director Lloyd Kaufman, who shared:

"Steve Pink has written a script, and he is directing, and they did sign Arnold Schwarzenegger! But then Arnold Schwarzenegger must have seen the original, and he unsigned. That's all I know about that."

More recently TotalFilm caught up with Schwarzenegger himself and asked him about the status of THE TOXIC AVENGER. Schwarzenegger replied:

"I cannot talk about this project because it has not yet been totally approved."

That doesn't quite sound as if he has dropped out of the film completely, but he's certainly not definite for the remake at the moment. Arnie didnt elaborate any further, so now the question remains: will Schwarzenegger still be a part of the TOXIC AVENGER remake? 

Steve Pink and Daniel C. Mitchell penned the script while Elysium Films is attached to produce, along with Akiva Goldsman, Richard Saperstein, Charlie Corwin and Michael Benaroya.

Troma Entertainment’s Michael Herz and Lloyd Kaufman directed the original 1984 pic, which initially flopped before gaining cult popularity through midnight screenings. THE TOXIC AVENGER went on to spawn three sequels, a musical and a cartoon.

The original films story centers around Melvin Ferd III, a 98-pound weakling who gets transformed into a superhuman crime-fighting creature after falling into a vat of toxic waste.

Loosely based on Lloyd Kaufman’s classic Troma franchise, THE TOXIC AVENGER is the tale of a high-school kid who gets dunked in a vat of toxic waste by a corrupt chemical company. He survives the ordeal with one major side effect: Upon contact with toxic chemicals, he transforms into a monster with superhuman strength. Schwarzenegger would play “the Exterminator,” a former black ops agent, who trains Toxie to use his powers for good. Together they take on the lurking menace created by the polluters and the polluters themselves.